


there's bones in my closet (but you hang stuff anyways)

by VibrantVenus



Category: Split (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Female Character, F/F, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Friendship/Love, Girls Kissing, Happy Ending, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kissing, Lesbian Character, Love, Marcia is maybe a bit more traumatized then i originally planned, Mild Language, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, Vomit Mention, guillotine by jon bellion, self-harm mention, title is from a song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-27 18:51:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14431908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VibrantVenus/pseuds/VibrantVenus
Summary: In which the girls are found before the Beast ever arrives.





	1. Chapter 1

   Dr. Fletcher closes the door as soon as she sees the girl inside, she's hurrying past the bathroom right in time to see Dennis round the corner. She summons up a smile, pressing a hand to Dennis' shoulder.

   "Once again, I am so grateful that you decided to trust me." She hopes he can't read the fear in her eyes, hopes he doesn't catch the deceit in her smile.

   He smiles, the skin between his eyes smoothing out ever so slightly, "I'll see you later Dr. Fletcher," and then he's leading her out of the basement. Her heart is pounding so hard, she's sure he must hear, but then she's out and climbing into a taxi. Her hands are shaking as she directs the driver to her home, and she's dialing 911 the second Dennis' still form fades from site.

   They thank her for telling them what she knows, and they tell he they have a squad car on the way, her hands keep shaking until she's unlocked her front door and sat on one of the many couches in her room. She's staring, vaguely, at the couch Dennis had been sitting on at most ten hours ago.

   There's a quiet, terrified part of her that wonders what would have happened if she hadn't made her way back to the bathroom in time. If she hadn't had such strict control on her emotions. Would she be locked in a closet, stripped down and starving? Or would she be dead? She can only wonder what had happened to those girls, can only hope that Dennis didn't act on his desires.

   She closes her eyes, running a hand over her face. There's a part of her that wants to stay up, to find out if the girls are saved, if Dennis is apprehended. However, she's too old, too tired, news will just have to wait.

 

   Marcia is tired, and hungry, but most importantly, she's afraid. She knows Claire is in the room next to her, could hear her choked crying through the haze of sleep, but she fears for Casey, who was separated from the both of them. Quiet Casey, the schools freak. She'd never thought she'd be kidnapped, never thought she would be ripped away from her life, but there's a part of her that's glad Casey was there with her. Casey had been calm and collected, had held her hair back while she was throwing up. Puking her guts out in fear for Claire, fear for what was going to happen to them. Had put a comforting hand on her shoulder when she was crying and Claire was already asleep. Had whispered quiet jokes to her from her bed.

   She'd never heard Casey cry, and she's half glad for it. She thinks if she had bore witness to Casey losing control, there'd have been no hope for her. 

   She hopes Casey is okay, hopes they'll all be okay.

   Hopes that the man, Dennis didn't try to make them dance for him.

   (There's a teeny tiny part of her that thinks that if they make it out of this alive, she'd like to be friends with Casey. Might like to be a little more than friends with her if she's honest with herself.)

   Her eyes are blurry when she hears the crash. She sits up quickly, her head spinning as she presses herself against the back wall. Her vision swims and she prays to every deity she can think of that they'll survive, just one more day, one more hour. Hopes to God that it's the police and not their captor coming to kill them.

   When the door is kicked in, she almost doesn't believe it. But she'd recognize those blue uniforms anywhere, she stands up on shaky legs. She falls when she takes a step, but an officer catches her, and she's crying and choking on names.

    _casey claire casey claire casey claire_

There's a blanket wrapped around her shoulders when she sees Casey. She runs, stumbling all the way, over to Casey, wrapping her arms around the other girl. She stiffens in her arms, but Marcia doesn't care because they've all made it out, despite all the odds against them, they were gonna be okay. Casey hesitantly wraps her arms around her, and Marcia pulls her closer. She pulls back just slightly, and Casey's eyes are wider than usual, a sort of hesitance lingering in their depths. 

   Marcia thinks, hesitantly, that she and Casey have never been this close before. She wonders how she'd never noticed how pretty Casey's eyes were, and then she's leaning in, and oh God, but Casey's lips are as soft as she'd imagined in her most delirious moments. She pulls back slowly and shivers slightly, despite the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. 

   Casey looks shocked, and Marcia has an apology rolling off her lips before Casey stops her. This kiss is sweeter, and Marcia thinks for a moment that this must be what Heaven is like. Hesitantly they pull apart, and there's an officer just to the side of them, smiling. The officer comes up to them, and Marcia mourns the moment, but she thinks they'll pick back up later and right now this woman needs them.

   Casey's uncle is the first to arrive, and Marcia sees the fear in her eyes, the tense, nervous set to her shoulders when the officer asks if she's ready to leave. Casey opens her mouth, takes a stuttering breath, and then....then Marcia understands how she could be so calm with the monster that had taken them.

   This monster hadn't hurt her. 

   And Marcia's hand tightens on Casey's as she unzips her jacket, pulling her shirt to the side to show them her scars the ones on her shoulder and her stomach and her back. 

   Marcia almost throws up when she sees a cigarette burn on her lower back, low enough to be covered by Casey's jeans. There's so  _many,_ and she thinks, horrifiedly that these are less scars, and more  _brands._ She has to turn away when Casey details her home life with John, turning into a shell shocked Claire's arms. Casey sounds so detached, and Marcia wonders what she'd be like if she'd lived a life free from tragedy. It feels like a betrayal to think it, and she shuts her mind off, listening with a growing dread as each horror that Casey has lived with is revealed.

   It is with a voice, trembling with fury, that Claire offers to let Casey stay at her home while her story is being investigated.

   Marcia looks at her long-time best friend and thinks about justice. She squeezes Casey's hand comfortingly as she shakily accepts. By then both their parents have arrived, and a confused John is being placed in a squad car.

   They haven't seen the man who had abducted them yet, and Marcia is quietly glad for it as she and Claire are offered proper clothes. They dress quickly and then they're walking to their parents when they see him. He has a resigned looking anger in his eyes where he sits in the backseat of another car. Marcia has never considered herself violent, but in that moment she wishes she was stronger, wishes she could kill him.Wishes she could wrap her hands around his throat until his lungs stuttered to a stop and his heart stopped beating. 

   It's a quiet sort of fury, and she's shaking. She only calms when she feels Casey's hand hesitantly enter her own.

   She glances at Casey out of the corner of her eyes, and feels her anger melting away. She sighs tiredly, an exhausted smile on her face as they stop at their cars. She turns to face Casey, and for a moment they're silent, but then Casey begins to speak, 

   "I'll see you tomorrow...right?"

   And Marcia smiles, pressing a soft kiss against Casey's lips.

   "Definitely," she says.

   There's a look of wonder in Casey's eyes, and Marcia savors it, holds it close to her heart. It screams of hope, and Marcia finds herself believing in a future once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so there was obviously stuff that happened off screen-such as what was happening with the girls while the Horde was at work/with Dr. Fletcher. I guess I just wanted to fill in some of those blanks.  
> Also, ok on the thing about Casey's scars, I figured there had to be more than we saw, since we only saw the front of her upper half.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Casey and Marcia are just sappy and gay (well bi in Marcia's case) and a lot of their feelings have based on my own feelings for other girls(though their feelings are definitely reciprocated and not one sided hahahaha ha ha h a)

 Their relationship stays secret for roughly twenty seconds once they enter the school building. Casey feels like she should be uncomfortable, having this many eyes on her, but she's never seen so many that almost seem glad to see her.   
  
  She's always been Crazy Casey, yelling at poor teachers and disrupting their picture perfect, hallmark card lives. So to have this many people see her, and breathe out a sigh of relief, it's, well, strange.   
  
  Strange, but very refreshing.   
  
  Of course people seem to be less happy about the whole lesbian thing. Though they aren't sure if it's really a lesbian thing until Marcia presses a kiss against her lips and then slides into her classroom. Her stomach fills with butterflies and she almost feels giddy.  
  
  Nothing disrupts her joy, not even the letter she finds stuffed in her locker.  
  
   _emo dyke slit your wrists and go to hell already_  
  
  It almost makes her laugh, and she slides it into her wallet. She's half tempted to frame it.   
  
  The world already seems so much brighter and though she feels awkward and out of place with Marcia and Claire's friends, she still resolves to be at least civil with these girls. If only to make her own life easier.   
  
  She stares at Marcia out of the corner of her eye, sees her laughing, her head thrown back and her wild curls bouncing around her face. The picture of joy and relief and pure happiness.   
  
  Her heart pounds in her chest, and for a moment she wonders how any human could be so lovely.   
  
  Casey thinks, horrifiedly, that she's turning into a sap.   
  
  Marcia laughs once more, losing control of her upper body and slumping against Casey's shoulder.   
  
  Casey thinks she's willing to be the sappiest of saps as long as this girl is still in her life.  
  
  
  
  Marcia knew things would be different the moment she woke up in her bedroom at three am and had a panic attack when she couldn't find Casey or Claire.   
  
  There's a part of her that is gone, stolen by their captor. She recognizes that she will never again be happy sweet Marcia, so unbothered by the world around her.  
  
  Her father finds her curled up in the bathtub, the water soaking through her clothes. He pulls her up and rocks her while she cries, and she feels small and safe in his arms.   
  
  She makes the decision to return to school as soon as possible-though they'll still miss days since they've chosen to testify-not to mention that she plans to be there for Casey while she deals with John.  
  
  However getting dressed that Monday morning...she nearly cries right there. She's staring into her closet all her clothes, beautiful clothes.   
  
  Revealing clothes.  
  
  She'd admired the short skirts and the belly button showing crop tops. Had practically lusted over anything with a cut out.  
  
  But after feeling the weight of a grown man's eyes on her body, she just wants to be _invisible_. Wants no one to look at her.  
  
  She had been a master of her body, had reveled in her femininity.   
  
  She pulls out a sweater, her most comfortable article of clothing that had always, without fail, made her feel better. Claire thought it was ugly, but she understood why she loved it.  
  
  It had been her mother's college sweater, and wearing it made her feel closer to her mother, who would always get this sweet half smile on her lips when she saw Marcia wearing it.  
  
  She pulls on the one pair of jeans that aren't ripped and a pair of sneakers. This feels comfortable, safe even. While everyone would be looking at her, for once it wouldn't be for her body.   
  
  When her mother sees her she smiles, presses a painted kiss to her forehead, and Marcia groans as her mother laughs, rubbing furiously at the ruby red stain on her forehead.  
  
  Marcia's hands shake in the car, but she presses them in between her thighs, calms her anxious heart and holds her head up high. She is stronger than her fear.  
  
  She repeats this in her head, as if it is her war cry and she is preparing for battle.   
  
  She smiles when she sees Casey climbing out of Claire's fathers car. She's wearing some of Claire's borrowed clothes, and Marcia figures they haven't taken Casey to her house to pick up her things.   
  
  She looks nice, wearing dark ripped jeans and a long sleeved turtleneck sweater. Marcia is glad Claire hasn't lost that passion for dressing people up, and she cracks a smile when she sees the fashionable black ankle boots that Marcia knows she bought for Claire.  
  
  They stop in front of each other, and Marcia notices that Casey is taller then her with the few inches the boots gives her. She smiles and she knows her cheeks are probably terribly red, but she still whispers, "Hi," and her cheeks still get impossibly darker when Casey takes her hand.  
  
  Marcia smiles, her hair falling in front of her flaming face. A hand presses a curl behind her ear, and Marcia thinks she might just spontaneously combust. Might just melt into a puddle of happiness. The way Casey makes her feel is enough to distract her from her growing anxiety. The highschool looms in the near distance behind Casey, and she feels a lump growing in her throat, and when she sighs Casey nods as if she understands.  
  
  She probably does.  
  
  Marcia's hands tremble, and she grips Casey's hand tight in her own. Claire hurries up to them, and Marcia is glad that she'd given them that moment, is suddenly so glad that they'd all made it out.   
  
  She links arms with Claire, but she keeps a tight grip on Casey's hand. Together they walk forward, and Marcia thinks the future is so terribly bright. Thinks as long as she keeps these girls by her side she'll be just fine.  
  
  The sun rises in the distance, and Marcia thinks that Casey and Claire might feel the hope building in the air around them.  
  
  There's a moment right before they walk into the front doors of the school. It feels like there had been chains around her throat and now they were gone.   
  
  She pulls Casey close and kisses her for good luck, it's sweet and she feels she would live inside this moment forever if she could.   
  
  She pulls away, and Claire is groaning half-heartedly (Though Marcia can hear the smile shining through)   
  
  She opens the doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I feel like Claire and Marcia if they had survived would have came out of that place pretty fucked up. These are young women who have never been "broken" until they Dennis and the Horde took them. Like I like Dennis and all, but the removal of the girls clothes had to be pretty traumatizing, especially since the man forcing them to remove their clothes had basically admitted to being sexually interested in their bodies. So if they were to survive down there I imagine that would leave a kind of damage on these girls. These girls who were obviously very comfortable/confident in their bodies. Idk, I feel like if I were in their place I wouldn't want people to be able to see my body. I'm kinda already like that because what's up catcalling is a thing. But like, I'm less anxious abt it then I imagine these girls would be. Mostly because,,,, y'know,,, I haven't been abducted and had my clothing forcefully taken away.  
> Also abt the hate note Casey got. My sister was mad at me bc I threatened to eat her pizza bc she was being a brat, and she wrote me a hate note that was basically "get out and go to college already" my baby sister is telling my bitchass to get tf OUT. lmao I haven't even finished high school yet kid. Anyways yeah ibthough the note is hilarious like I keep it in my wallet I show it to EVERYONE.
> 
> Anyways the epilogue should be out in a few days!!


	3. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, filled with hope like a year ago: Anyways the epilogue should be out in a few days!!  
> Me. Now: anYWaYs ThE EpiLogUe shOulD bE oUt iN a fEW dAYs!!111  
> i think i struggled with this for so long because i wanted to write a happy ending and i just....couldn't find it in me to write one? This past year has just been..the crappiest year of my life, and I honestly couldn't find any kind of happy ending inside of me. But things are...less terrible right now and i was able to produce one, kind of abrupt happy ending.  
> again i am.........so sorry for the late update but!!! It's finished!!!  
> anyways this is for all the peopkle who left comments asking about the epilogue that made me feel guilty enough to get my ass to work.

   The sun shines softly through their curtains, and Casey is enchanted. Marcia glows golden in the light, looking like some sort of fledgling goddess in their bed. Her hair lies in wild curls around her face, and her eyelids flutter with dreams. The sun was bright enough to wake her up, and she's glad for this vision. 

   She stretches, bones popping as she arches her back. She curls back up against Marcia, pressing up against her warmth. The light glints off her fingers when she runs them along Marcia's side, and she holds her hand up, examining the pale golden ring on her finger. 

   This, she thinks, must be absolute happiness. The ability to love and be loved in return is breathtaking. Marcia is breathtaking, and somehow she loves Casey Cooke. Casey Cooke, who had been a prisoner in her own home.

   There's a part of her, the part of her that's still hurt and afraid, that is almost thankful that the man-Dennis had taken them. She's grateful for the courage the experience had given her. That she's able to have this now. 

   The rest of her doesn't think of him, doesn't think of the way he haunts the darkest corners of her mind. Doesn't think of a hole in the ceiling, of plaster raining down from the ceiling. Of a flower tenderly placed behind her ear, a knife, a broken chair. A kiss, a lie. 

   And a truth.

 _"_ _I get into trouble at school, on purpose._ _So I can get sent to detention._ _To get away from everyone._ _So that I can be alone."_

   Being alone-being invisible. She'd spent years wishing she could disappear. Wishing she could fade into some sort of peaceful nonexistence.

   She'd come to terms with her desire to die. 

   It's something that stayed with her, just another one of the tragedies she packed away when she left the house she'd lived in with her uncle. Settled in nicely between the few pictures of her father she still had, and the small box of shiny bits and bobs she'd hidden inside her boxspring.

   For the brief time when she still collected the mail from their old address, she opened two letters from her uncle asking her to visit him, and asking her why she couldn't just play the fucking game. 

   After that she stopped opening anything that had his handwriting on it.

   She feels movement, and looks up at Marcia, who's eyes have opened a fraction, a sleepy smile gracing her lips. 

   "Morning Casey."

   And Casey melts. 

   "Hey."

   Marcia rolls over, so they're laying face to face. Her hand rises to grab Casey's, warm fingers pressing in between her own. Casey uses her other hand to push a curl out of Marcia's face, delighting in the wide smile that stretches across her face. 

   Marcia stretches up to kiss her and-

   It feels like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND ITS DONE!!! Sorry for the late update, I got a bit sidetracked by life.  
> Also like????? Writing is hard dhdhahavaf.  
> I wanted so many things for this fic and i think i accomplished most of them, even if this differs from what i originally had planned. (which was nothing (because I'm an idiot (who doesn't plan out their fics)))


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